Ethiopia, Sudan reportedly negotiating to extradite missing Gambela official

By Ethiopian newspaper Wonchif

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 20, 2004 — It has been learnt that the EPRDF government has announced the whereabouts of the Gambela Regional State’s president, Mr Okelo Akuai, who was reported missing on 30 Tahesas [9 January 2004].

The Gambela police commissioner said that the president of Gambela disappeared on 30 Tahesas and joined an opposition group lead by former members of the Ethiopian Workers Party [EWP, lead by Mengistu Hailemariam].

However, the weekly newspaper The Reporter said that although the police commissioner had said that Mr Okelo had joined an opposition group, he [Okelo] is still in Sudan and security officials from both countries are negotiating for his extradition.

BBC Monitoring Africa